Chapter 1298: Turn, turn, TURN

“I’m afraid one can’t place a world fragment into a Star Ship with normal methods, right?” Shang Xia asked in shock.

Song Zhen was stumped by his sudden question and became even more confused as to Shang Xia’s identity. He didn’t know how the mighty high-level True Immortal before him didn’t know about things like that, but with the other party controlling his fate, he quickly explained, “It’s not easy, but this is a special method used by those in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. It’s used to transport world fragments. Lord, please take a look. This Star Ship is made with special methods. It’s like an artifact that consists of talismans and formations. Everything is fused in one and it’s a rare treasure.”

Shang Xia mumbled thoughtfully, “From the looks of it, Star Ships such as these that can transport would serve as standard equipment for the Star Pirates in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, right?”

Song Zhen quickly replied, “Special Star Ships like these are called Arks in the Chaotic Sea of Stars, and there are some who call them World Arks. However, those whose worlds have been attacked would refer to them as the Doomsday Ark. Whatever it is, only Star Pirates of a certain scale have the ability to possess one. Small-scale Star Pirate groups will be able to own an Azure World Ark at the very best. As for mid-scale Star Pirate groups, it’s impressive for them to get their hands on a Spirit World Ark.

Shang Xia asked, “Do Azure World Arks and Spirit World Arks refer to the level of world fragment they can contain? Are there Essence World Arks or those of even higher rank?”

“Lord is wise... That is truly the case. Actually, with the foundations of the Piercing Cloud Bandits, we barely qualify to own a Spirit World Ark. However, Leader Gao Takong ran into a huge opportunity and snatched one during a massive battle between 2 Star Pirate groups in the Chaotic Sea of Stars. He used a fortune to repair it and this is it... It’s also how the Piercing Cloud Bandits became a rare group among the mid-scale Star Pirate groups to own one...” Song Zhen replied.

Shang Xia glanced at him with a smile that didn’t seem like a smile. “In that case, doesn’t that mean that the Piercing Cloud Bandits lost big time? Not only did they lose their Fourth Chief and a world fragment... They even lost their Spirit World Ark!”

Song Zhen chuckled helplessly, “Who would have thought that such a massive power like the Essence Xing World would experience such serious inner conflicts? What’s more, they sent me, a second tier True Immortal, to escort the fleet alone. Even though the Piercing Cloud Bandits have another Azure World Ark, they would lose a lot now that they lost this... The ranking of the Piercing Cloud Bandits in the Chaotic Sea of Stars is sure to take a huge hit as well...”

Shang Xia understood that different Star Pirate groups were ranked based on their collective strength and the level of their fleets, and also, if he wanted to bring the world fragment back, he would need to control the ark...

Understanding the importance of the Spirit World Ark, be it True Immortal Kang or True Immortal Yu of the Essence Xing World, or Song Zhen, who was part of the Piercing Cloud Bandits, they intentionally fought far away from the World Ark, not allowing it to be too damaged from the massive battle from before.

It was then that Song Zhen sighed again, “Thinking back... When the members of the Dachen Dynasty looked for us, it was because we had a Spirit World Ark. However... They couldn’t seem to keep their plan a secret...”

After he spoke, Song Zhen shook his head and remained silent.

The Spirit World Ark slowly made its way over, slowing down as it approached. Several cultivators appeared from within as True Immortal Yu and True Immortal Kang flew at Shang Xia and Song Zhen.

“Lord, they...” Song Zhen was startled, and he wanted to say something. However, he started to hesitate.

Shang Xia chuckled and watched as True Immortal Yu and True Immortal Kang stood before him. “How is it? Can you get rid of the restriction in your dantian?”

They were unable to see Shang Xia’s true appearance, but they could tell that he was pretty young. Glancing at each other, True Immortal Yu eventually muttered, “Of course we don’t have the ability to do so. However, it doesn’t mean that no one in the Essence Xing World can get rid of it! Aren’t you afraid that we would call for more reinforcements after leaving earlier? Or do you really think that we are too afraid of death and wouldn’t dare to try anything like that?”

“Hehe...” Shang Xia continued, “Cultivators like us have been training our souls ever since the Martial Intent Realm. Unless one is willing to be controlled, no one would be able to force them. I was only planning to make a deal with you guys, but the circumstances under which we met were a little unfortunate. I could only show off some of my skills... However, that’s just so that I get an additional layer of assurance. After all... I’m in a foreign space right now and I can’t be too careful.”

True Immortal Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Who exactly are you?”

They had long since guessed that the powerful high-level True Immortal before them wasn’t from their world. Also, Shang Xia didn’t seem to be intentionally hiding the fact.

With a soft chuckle, he asked, “What do you think?”

He silently signaled to Song Zhen as he spoke.

Responding to his command, Song Zhen flew over to the Spirit World Ark and took control. He instructed the Martial Dipper Realm members of the Essence Xing World to control the ark to accelerate.

Those on board survived the silencing attempt by True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu and seeing as they had no objections to Song Zhen’s actions, they quickly followed his instructions. The giant ark started to speed up.

As Song Zhen was the true controller of the ship, it was only able to display its true might with him back in control.

When he was hunted down by True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu earlier, Song Zhen actually left behind a lot of hidden problems with the Spirit World Ark that wouldn’t allow it to fly too quickly. Naturally, it was to give the Piercing Cloud Bandits a chance to snatch their Spirit World Ark back after it fell into the hands of the enemy.

Now... It didn’t matter anymore.

When it started to accelerate through the sea of stars, Shang Xia, along with True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu, arrived back on the ark.

True Immortal Yu shook his head at Shang Xia’s question, and True Immortal Kang remained silent at the side.

Shang Xia looked at True Immortal Kang and asked, “Looks like you managed to guess something?”

With a soft sigh, True Immortal Kang explained, “Several years ago, the Wanyun Association managed to escape from the Dachen Dynasty by using the Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman that hadn’t appeared in a long time. After that, there were rumors mentioning how they located a Star Beast Nest occupied by a foreign world. There, they met a Talisman Grandmaster and used their Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman inheritance to trade for the grandmaster’s time and effort to craft several Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans.”

True Immortal Kang raised his head and looked at Shang Xia. Even though he couldn’t see the high-level True Immortal’s appearance, he seemed to be able to tell that there was a strange smile hidden under the mysterious energy veil around his face.

Lowering his head immediately, True Immortal Kang continued, “The great powers of our world have been trying to probe the Wanyun Association for the source of their talismans, but they refused to say anything. As time passed, there were several powers that managed to find the Star Beast Nest. The Dachen Dynasty and the Qingling Palace also managed to form a connection to the Talisman Grandmaster there to request talismans. However, with all 3 of them taking part, information regarding the Star Beast Nest became even more difficult to come by. In the end, the Daqi Dynasty decided to go all out and revealed a spy they had hidden deep in the Dachen Dynasty to learn of the existence of the Essence Ping World!”

Shang Xia wasn’t surprised in the slightest, and he was actually slightly curious how those 3 great powers managed to keep news of the Star Beast Nest hidden for so long.

“Essence Ping World?” Song Zhen gasped when he heard the familiar name.

When Shang Xia discovered Song Zhen’s shock, he couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the matter? Have you heard the name before?”

Song Zhen had already decided to submit to Shang Xia in order to live, and he knew that he needed to prove his worth. The Dachen Dynasty had once tried to use the Piercing Cloud Bandits to look for information regarding the Essence Ping World, and the information had been passed around through the higher-levels expert among the Star Pirates.

Shang Xia’s heart sank, but he continued to chuckle softly, “Alright, you can leave now.”

True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu raised their heads to look at Shang Xia in shock. Even though he had already shown that he didn’t really care about taking their lives, they were still shocked when he allowed them to leave.

“Are you really going to let us live?” True Immortal Yu asked.

Shang Xia couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course, however, if I head over to the Essence Xing World in the future, I hope you won’t repay my kindness with hostility.”

True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu didn’t know if Shang Xia was fooling around, but since they were allowed to leave, they quickly called for their trusted aides from the Ark before cupping their fists respectfully towards Shang Xia. Once they turned around, they didn’t look back as they made their way back to the Essence Xing World.

Song Zhen, who was standing behind Shang Xia the whole time, looked at the departing figures of the Essence Xing World and wanted to say something, but he seemed to have second thoughts as he quickly changed what he was about to say. “Lord, without the help of those cultivators, the speed of the ark will be affected...”

“That’s your problem!” Shang Xia laughed in response.

Slightly taken aback, Song Zhen’s lips started to twitch, but he managed to suppress his emotions.

Shang Xia’s voice rang in his ears the next second. “Let’s change direction.”

Song Zhen wasn’t surprised by his order and replied without even raising his head, “Yes!”

He turned to walk into the interior of the ark after he spoke.

It was then that Shang Xia took a step out and appeared in the middle of the void. With the ark slowly progressing, he retrieved his Stone Rod and slammed it into the void before returning to the ark.

Where he once stood, the void tens tens of thousands of miles across turned into a region of chaotic space.